The Growing Importance of Retrofit Cabins
Once upon a time, not too long ago, new cabins and new seats were almost exclusively installed on brand new, factory-fresh aircraft at their manufacturer’s final assembly lines. Today, though, multiple drivers mean that linefit — while still the default for new seats and cabins — isn’t always possible.
Enter the new trend of introducing new products, including new flagship seats and cabins, via retrofit. The biggest driver behind the growth in retrofit cabins is the supply-side crunch for new aircraft, including:
- The ongoing delay in the Boeing 777X programme
- Cabin supply chain issues like lavatory production for the Airbus A350
- Seat certification problems with the FAA, in particular Boeing 787s and Airbus A321XLRs
- Tariffs, especially on US-destined Airbus narrowbody aircraft and some widebodies
- The only widebody an airline can buy before 2030 is the Airbus A330neo
On the demand side, passenger expectations are growing in an industry where travellers have a wealth of information about their travel —especially those in premium cabins — and are willing (and able) to consider a wider variety of airlines.
Consider the longhaul market from the US for a moment: more international airlines are moving beyond the traditional longhaul points of entry like JFK, LAX or Seattle. Airlines from Etihad (Abu Dhabi to Charlotte) to Starlux (Taipei to Ontario, CA and Phoenix) are looking to muscle in on not just underserved airports like Ontario, but also existing hubs like American’s in CLT and PHX.
As a result, airlines are turning to retrofitting their existing aircraft rather than —or in advance of — new deliveries. So, what are an airline’s options for retrofit?
By and large, a carrier has three choices:
- A full-aircraft retrofit where complex changes include overhead bins, galleys and lavatories
- A cabin-level retrofit, avoiding some or all of those more complex changes
- A light retrofit of seat covers, surfaces, materials and so on.
Cathay Pacific is a good example here, with full cabin retrofits of its Boeing 777- 300ER aircraft with its new longhaul Aria cabins — intended for the much- delayed 777-9 —well underway. The airline also recently announced that it will be undertaking a light retrofit on its regionally configured aircraft.
These are a small fleet of A330-300s and Boeing 777-300s — the non-ER version of the 777-300 size that, in the 1990s, the airframer originally targeted as 747-100/200 replacements on the “A market”: in essence, regional widebodies. These now-aging planes are still in service, mostly because of delays in the Boeing 777X programme.
Onboard these aircraft are recliner seats like those you might find as domestic first class within the US, or in international premium economy. They’re around 15 years old now and show it in some ways — like the tiny mobile phone holder that just about fits an iPhone 4 or 5, but nothing like today’s phones.
Cathay’s more recent regional aircraft, like the Airbus A321neos that offer the Collins Aerospace Air Rest recliner-plus Z-bed seat, have eclipsed the old regional product in style and in substance. Boosting the style points will carry the airline over with the old product until the fleet capacity crunch eases, meaning that more aircraft currently on longhaul rotations can be flowed down to regional service.
Within the aviation supply chain, manufacturers need to make sure that their product lines — and especially their retrofit and upgrade options — are designed to meet this demand. The big question: how can airlines get the biggest visible and experiential bang for their proverbial buck, via the swiftest and lowest risk retrofit process?